AP CM faces attack from MPs, MLAs over Telangana

Congress Members of Parliament and members of Legislative Assembly from Telangana on Monday slammed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and accused him of weakening the party in the region that is witnessing an agitation for statehood.

The MPs also condemned the "repressive measures" against Telangana protagonists and alleged that the chief minister's actions were "provoking" people of the region.

Addressing a press conference on Monday evening, Rajya Sabha MP K Keshava Rao, Lok Sabha members Ponnam Prabhakar, G Vivekananda, Manda Jagannadham and Komatireddi Rajagopal Reddy said normal life has been paralysed in Telangana because of the ongoing indefinite strike by government employees.

"Administration in Telangana has come to a standstill but both the governor and the chief minister are sending false reports to the central government on the situation here," the Congress MPs alleged.

Condemning the police action against Telangana supporters, the MPs demanded that all those arrested in connection with the ongoing agitation should be released immediately.

The lawmakers said they would visit New Delhi and exert pressure on the Congress high command to concede to the demand for Telangana. "Otherwise, the high command itself will be forced to come down here," he said.

Meanwhile, a group of Congress MLAs from the region cautioned that any effort by the party-led state government to thwart the ongoing indefinite strike would boomerang.

"The current strike by government employees is unprecedented. The government will end up as a laughing stock if it tries to thwart it," ruling party MLAs Mutyam Reddy, S Rajaiah and S Satyanarayana warned.

The Congress would lose heavily if it did not concede the demand for a separate state, they said. To a question, the MLAs said they were ready to quit their posts if required.